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boon
Posts: 4
| My horse seems very unsure of running full speed in game events. I was told he would definitely be a 2D/3D barrel horse. He is a little on the lazy side, but is very willing to do what I ask of him. I have been patterning him for about a year now and he does know the pattern. Thought he was finally ready for some speed. Gave him a smack with the quirt and he stopped cold on the second barrel. Not sure where to go from here. Anyone else have some experience with this. HELP!!!! | |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
  
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | candream - 2016-10-23 9:52 PM My horse seems very unsure of running full speed in game events. I was told he would definitely be a 2D/3D barrel horse. He is a little on the lazy side, but is very willing to do what I ask of him. I have been patterning him for about a year now and he does know the pattern. Thought he was finally ready for some speed. Gave him a smack with the quirt and he stopped cold on the second barrel. Not sure where to go from here. Anyone else have some experience with this. HELP!!!!
Throw away that quirt!! | |
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Regular
Posts: 82
| I was going through this same thing about 6 months ago. Literally all the horse knew was the pattern (which she high lopes very nicely!) When she had been hauled pretty consistently at a lope to see the sights it was all good and what you'd expect from a young horse. However it came time to add speed and she was very unsure about herself. I knew what the problem was (she didn't know where her feet were, couldn't walk a straight line, constantly had her head up, didn't know how to lope a circle, she literally didn't know anything!) After about at least 5 months of being told it was the way I was riding her, "she's lazy be aggressive", "oh it's the Thorobred in her", "she's not running cause you guys haul her to much" etc... I finally just stopped. I pulled her off of barrels for 6 months (since April) and just slowly worked on the basics of what a horse should know. Moving off your leg, collection, listening to your seat, and really trying to get her comfortable with her self. She has improved greatly on her loping circles, carries her head lower now, listens to my seat and is much calmer and easy going. We hauled her this weekend to a Little Britches rodeo for me to run barrels on and the difference between April and Saturday/Sunday was amazing! She was much calmer, stood still anywhere I told her too, loped circles 100% better in the warm up pen, she just absolutely shocked me! When it came time to run her I just cruised her through the pattern and asked her to really open up on the way home and she did! That grey mare can RUN! I would also like to add that in 6 months Wednesday was the first time she saw barrels, we trotted through 1 time and loped through 1 time. She placed me 7th Saturday and 4th Sunday :) She was much more comfortable with her self and it showed. Sorry this is long, it's kinda a happy moment and big deal for me that the 6 months of teaching her the basics wasn't wasted!! Your horse may need to just be taught to have confidence in its self (and you) before he can learn to really run. It could take awhile but you guys will get it figured out! Good luck :) | |
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | Speed_Demon1 - 2016-10-24 12:04 AM
I was going through this same thing about 6 months ago. Literally all the horse knew was the pattern (which she high lopes very nicely!) When she had been hauled pretty consistently at a lope to see the sights it was all good and what you'd expect from a young horse. However it came time to add speed and she was very unsure about herself. I knew what the problem was (she didn't know where her feet were, couldn't walk a straight line, constantly had her head up, didn't know how to lope a circle, she literally didn't know anything!) After about at least 5 months of being told it was the way I was riding her, "she's lazy be aggressive", "oh it's the Thorobred in her", "she's not running cause you guys haul her to much" etc... I finally just stopped. I pulled her off of barrels for 6 months (since April) and just slowly worked on the basics of what a horse should know. Moving off your leg, collection, listening to your seat, and really trying to get her comfortable with her self. She has improved greatly on her loping circles, carries her head lower now, listens to my seat and is much calmer and easy going. We hauled her this weekend to a Little Britches rodeo for me to run barrels on and the difference between April and Saturday/Sunday was amazing! She was much calmer, stood still anywhere I told her too, loped circles 100% better in the warm up pen, she just absolutely shocked me! When it came time to run her I just cruised her through the pattern and asked her to really open up on the way home and she did! That grey mare can RUN! I would also like to add that in 6 months Wednesday was the first time she saw barrels, we trotted through 1 time and loped through 1 time. She placed me 7th Saturday and 4th Sunday :) She was much more comfortable with her self and it showed. Sorry this is long, it's kinda a happy moment and big deal for me that the 6 months of teaching her the basics wasn't wasted!! Your horse may need to just be taught to have confidence in its self (and you) before he can learn to really run. It could take awhile but you guys will get it figured out! Good luck :)
Yea for y'all  | |
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 Expert
Posts: 1718
Location: Southeast Louisiana | My first thought was that it just takes a horse time to get used to running and turning with the weight of a rider throwing them off balance. Then I got to the part where you said he stopped cold. I don't know what that could be about. Need a lot more info and maybe a video.
In the year, how much riding have you been doing, and what type of drills? He might know the pattern, but does he know all of the elements and fundamentals? Like bend, flex, moving his shoulders and hip, collection and how that all applies to the barrel pattern? Have you given your horse time to get comfortable on the pattern at different speeds before asking him to run? | |
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| Take your horse out in the pasture and do some sprints and teach
some cues how to run when asked ...
Goofing off with friends makes it a happy ride for everyone ..
All he has been taught in the arena is go slow and be ready to stop ..
a lot of race horses will slow down and act confused when whacked ..
to keep a jockey from whacking a horse is simple ..
make sure you take the bat away from the jockey ..
lol
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boon
Posts: 4
| I appreciate all your input. I will give you a little more information. My gelding is 8 yrs. old. Very soft, flexes like a dream. Yields to leg pressure and seat position. Side passes. I have done every kind of groundwork and prepping with him. Has been hauled all over. Trailers, ties and hauls like a dream.
Just to clarify I DO NOT use a quirt regularly, hardly ever. Just on that particular day was hoping to get him to move a tad bit faster.
My thoughts were also that maybe he just needs to be breezed and sprinted. I have a feeling that he is not real sure of himself at high speeds carrying a rider.
Please keep the comments coming!!!! | |
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boon
Posts: 4
| I think your right about pulling him off barrels, probably won't see them now until spring. Just doing alot of fun riding now.
Congrats on your success!!!! | |
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Horse seems unsure of running full speed.....